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A Guide to Naga Races
Note: This Guide will be added to and expanded on as time goes on. Nagas are a unique type of sentient creatures, found all across the old world. What sets them apart from known hominids is that instead of legs, they have a tail, comparable to a snake's in musculature and appearance. Appearance wise, they are as varied as humans, if not more, having a wide spectrum of hair colors and skin tones, as well as tail color. Naga height is extremely diverse as well, from around 4 feet to 7 in a resting height, which is when the naga is not exerting extra force to be taller or closer to the ground. General Naga Biology Shedding: Nagas shed their skin several times during their youth, usually stopping at around 10-18, depending on species. In domestic settings, they do this while bathing, then discard the single sleeve of skin, or keep a piece as a keepsake. In the wild, they find rivers or damp locations, they sometimes consume their skins for extra nutrients. Desert Nagas shed their tails in small portions, as the dryness of their environment makes it hard to shed the entire piece. Reproduction: Naga coitus is a very relaxed process, usually the mated pair will lie together and remain pressed together for a few hours. After a gestation period of several months, the female will give birth to one or two children and nurse them. In some cultures, it's common for multiple males to mate with a single female at a time, similar to "breeding balls" found in smaller snakes, the same is true for multiple females to one male. Locomotion: Nagas move similarly to snakes, winding their tails side to side. However, their musculature is slightly different, allowing them to use their tails in unexpected ways. Most Nagas (apart from desert and marine) can tightly coil their tails, and can use them as springs to propel themselves up, landing on their tails can sometimes result in injuries. River Nagas Homoanguis fluminis Location: India, China, Southeast Asia Habitat: Forests, Clearings, River sides Average Height: 5-6 feet Average Length: 7-12 feet Diet: Fruit, Leaves, Nuts, Occasionally small vertebrates Skin Tone: Olive to Brown Common Colors: Blue, Brown, Yellow, Green Lifespan: 50-60 years Info: River nagas are the most common kind of naga. Commonly found in the moist, humid jungles of asia near flowing sources of fresh water. Most river nagas have an affinity for nature and animals. Many take up veterinary practices and have strong bonds with their animals. They often live alongside elephants and gharials peacefully, despite their immense size and the latter's carnivorous lifestyle. Ancient Indians regarded nagas as river spirits who protected sacred water. River nagas enjoy sunbathing on logs, rocks, and even the backs of gharials during the afternoon, during this time, it is common to catch glimpses of them. What is often called the naga capitol, Acrullia, is a large forest clearing filled with huts and tree houses. It is home to mostly river nagas and a few other varieties, the city is occasionally attacked by giants or manticores, but is well prepared for defense. Forest Nagas Homoanguis venator ''(Variety of sub-species) Location: Europe, West Asia Habitat: Dense Forests, grasslands Average Height: 5-6 feet Average Length: 9-15 feet Diet: Small vertabrates, rodents, birds, snakes, deer, humans, rarely other nagas Skin Tone: Pale to Olive Common Colors: Red, Brown, Green, Yellow Lifespan: 60-80 years Info: Forest nagas are quite different from the other members of their genus. They all have one thing in common, fangs, which set them apart from the other terrestrial nagas. Another unique trait of theirs is a jagged scale/skin line as well as a very thin tapering tail, unlike river nagas. Forest nagas come in a wide variety, due to both biological features as well as cultural reasons. Biologically, some are venomous, with a painful semi-paralytic venom which stuns their prey for up to an hour. Fang size is also a differing feature, many of them have concealed fangs, which are covered by the lips when their mouths are closed, a small variety have visible fangs, which are seen when the mouth is closed, these ones are usually venomous. Forest nagas have a special digestive system shared with Marine nagas called "hyper digestion" it quickly powers through nearly indigestible parts of food and turns it into liquid waste, which is passed after a day. Unlike river nagas, forest nagas live alone, generally in basic shacks or portable lean-to's. To aid in hunting, forest nagas have an exceptional sense of smell and can track prey using even the faintest of scents. Island Naga ''Homoanguis insula Location: Japan, Pacific Islands Habitat: Small Islands Average Height: 6-7 feet Average Length: 11-16 feet Diet: Fish, Rodents, Fruit Skin Tone: Yellowish, Olive Common Colors: Black, Purple, Navy Blue, Brown Lifespan: 70-100 years Info: The tallest and longest terrestrial naga species, of those who know of them, their beauty is famed. Elegant and reclusive, many believe they are non existent or magical. Unlike other nagas, most of them only have black or brown hair, which doesn't always match their tail hue. When they travel to other lands, they are often regarded as gods or powerful beings. However, they have a hard time adapting to new cultures and languages, and are rarely found off of their home islands anymore. As the islands they lived on became more urbanized by humans, island nagas became even rarer. It's currently unknown how many remain. Cave Naga Homoanguis residem Location: across Afro-Eurasia Habitat: Deep caves Average Height: 3-4 feet Average Length: 5 feet Diet: Insects, moss, rodents Skin Tone: Pure white Common Colors: White, Black Lifespan: Males: 25 Years Females: 40 Years Info: Small compact bodies, white as snow hair, and large glowing red eyes. Those are the most striking features of this rare and reclusive naga. They live deep underground and are usually found alone or in small groups of around 4, simply because large groups would have trouble finding enough food to satiate themselves. Unique dimorphism exists in this species, males are slim and muscular, while females are generally pudgier, on average males weigh about 70 pounds, and females get up to 110. The explanation behind this is that males often hunt and gather, sacrificing meals for females, who have to tend to their single child and have extra fat storage to survive and feed their offspring. Due to this, males live only around half as long as females. In environments with plenty of food, males and females live for the same length (males actually live longer) and weigh around the same. Desert Naga Homoanguis dacia Location: North Africa Habitat: Deserts and Savannahs Average Height: 5-6 feet Average Length: 12-15 feet Diet: Plants, Carrion, a variety of animals, marrow Skin Tone: Brown to Black Common Colors: Brown, Tan, Black, Yellow, Gray Lifespan: 60-70 years Info: The desert nagas are one of the more common varieties of naga, they are known for being able to survive months without food or water, however, most of the time they never face such extremes. They have a unique structure of grooves and ridges on their tails which collects dew that forms over night. It is customary for mated pairs to drink each others dew as a show of trust. Both males and females hunt together, but often resort to scavenging kills already made. Bone marrow is a staple in their diet, as are dry desert plants. Marine Naga Aquanguis litus Location: Pacific Ocean Habitat: Coasts, Reefs Average Height: 6 feet Average Length: 11-19 feet Diet: Fish Skin Tone: Pale, Blueish, Pinkish Common Colors: Blue, Pink, Green, Black Lifespan: 50-60 years Info: Possibly the origin of the mermaid myth, these rare and exotic nagas are almost never encountered by humans. They have a unique set of skin tones as well, sometimes having a slight blue or pinkish hue, or simply fair, human skin tone. Their tails are flattened near the end, forming a sort of paddle to help propel themselves underwater, sometimes going up to 25 miles per hour in order to capture prey, which includes eels, fish, and sometimes small semi aquatic vertebrates. To help with swimming, marine nagas are covered in a slippery mucus, which helps them catch prey and escape predators. The mucus is also helpful for when they must travel over land, marking it easy to slide on surfaces, as well as not dry out. Since there is no fire underwater, aquatic nagas eat their food raw, and therefore have a high tolerance to disease and mercury levels. Since they don't have gills, they instead have large lungs, which help them stay underwater for nearly one and a half hours. Due to this, they have very wide chests. To help counteract the amount of air in them, young nagas scour the sea floor for ballast stones, which they ingest and keep for most of their life, sometimes acquiring more when their powerful stomach acid wears the old ones away. To add to their large chests, the milk produced by females is very thick and not as liquid as normal milk, this causes them to have larger and firmer bosoms. Royal Naga Homoanguis Imperator? Location: India Habitat: Forests, Mountains Average Height: 6-7 feet Average Length: 18-23 feet Diet: Fruit, Plants, Meat Skin Tone: Pale to Brown Common Colors: Emerald, Gold, Bronze, Black, White, Platinum Lifespan: 90-130 years Info: Royal nagas are a curious case, they are the rarest and some of the largest of nagas and all have white hair. The majority appear to be male, with a few known females scattered across the records. These nagas are revered across their culture as powerful individuals, and often gain ruler status. One naga in particular, simply known as the Emerald Naga, was the ruler of Acrullia for around 70 years and was said to be able to utilize fire magic. Whether this is true or not is uncertain. Another renowned pair are told in ancient naga myth, a mated pair known as the Platinum and Gold royals, who defeated a horde of manticores and saved their people. It is unknown if these nagas are their own species, or if they are a type of river naga. No formal study has been made of them and a great portion of their data is from legend or first hand accounts. Related Creatures Manticore Dinotigris polydentes Location: Persia, India Habitat: Mountains, Thick Forests Average Height: 5-6 feet Average Length: 12-14 feet Diet: Humans, deer, nagas, livestock, young rhinos & elephants Skin Tone: Brown Common Colors: Red Lifespan: 20 years Info: A large predatory beast common in persia, its easily the most feared predator of nagas. This creature has a body similar to a tigers, small wings on its back, a human like face, and most strikingly, a long tail tipped in toxic quills. These quills can be launched to kill prey very quickly, only a few animals can withstand its volley, such as adult rhinos or elephants. After killing its prey, it will use its many rows of shark like teeth to tear its prey apart, consuming nearly everything on the body. Giant Titanosapiens carnivora Location: India, Greece, Northern Europe Habitat: Mountains, Thick Forests, Tundra Average Height: 20-30 feet Average Length: n/a Diet: Humans, deer, nagas, livestock, rhinos, elephants, manticores, whales, walrus, rarely plants Skin Tone: Varies, similar to human skin tones in their area Lifespan: 100-180 years Info: The largest terrestrial creatures in all the world, giants have been immortalized in legend and myth. Giants are known to devour all sorts of living creatures and display no mercy when attacking other sapient beings like humans, nagas, and elephants. Depending on their homelands, giants may have very limited social structures or incredibly complex ones. The european varieties are notably intellectual (however, this does not mean they are peaceful) whereas the races from eastern countries are more dull minded. In order for many villages and cities to survive, hunters and mercenaries have been employed to guard livestock and homes from the giant menaces. The most famous of these were the famous pair Leon Bitar and Olivia Mangat, a Human/Naga couple that guarded the city of Acrullia from nearly a hundred giants. Of course, there have been a few giants that have integrated into society most with great success, but there will always be a stigma against giants and giantesses, since they have a very strong predatory instinct.